Continued slowing of the Ross Ice Shelf and thickening of West Antarctic ice streams
As part of the Ross Ice Shelf Geophysical and Glaciological Survey (RIGGS), ice velocities were measured on the Ross Ice Shelf (RIS) during 1973-78. Comparisons of these with velocity estimates at the same locations derived from RADARSAT synthetic aperture radar (SAR) measurements in 1997 and 2009 s...
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Online Access: | https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8t8411cq https://escholarship.org/content/qt8t8411cq/qt8t8411cq.pdf https://doi.org/10.3189/2013jog12j122 |
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ftcdlib:oai:escholarship.org:ark:/13030/qt8t8411cq 2024-09-15T17:44:11+00:00 Continued slowing of the Ross Ice Shelf and thickening of West Antarctic ice streams Thomas, R Scheuchl, B Frederick, E Harpold, R Martin, C Rignot, E 838 - 844 2013-01-01 application/pdf https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8t8411cq https://escholarship.org/content/qt8t8411cq/qt8t8411cq.pdf https://doi.org/10.3189/2013jog12j122 unknown eScholarship, University of California qt8t8411cq https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8t8411cq https://escholarship.org/content/qt8t8411cq/qt8t8411cq.pdf doi:10.3189/2013jog12j122 CC-BY Journal of Glaciology, vol 59, iss 217 Physical Geography and Environmental Geoscience Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences article 2013 ftcdlib https://doi.org/10.3189/2013jog12j122 2024-06-28T06:28:19Z As part of the Ross Ice Shelf Geophysical and Glaciological Survey (RIGGS), ice velocities were measured on the Ross Ice Shelf (RIS) during 1973-78. Comparisons of these with velocity estimates at the same locations derived from RADARSAT synthetic aperture radar (SAR) measurements in 1997 and 2009 show velocity reduction in the southeast quadrant of the ice shelf by almost 200ma-1, with deceleration rates increasing with time. Large areas of ice shelf in this region are lightly grounded, forming an 'ice plain' that increases local buttressing of the ice streams. ICESat measurements show this ice plain to be thickening. The observed decrease in ice-shelf velocities implies a total reduction in the mass of ice flowing into the RIS from the West Antarctic ice sheet (WAIS) by-23 Gt a-1, shifting the mass balance of the WAIS drainage basin from strongly negative in the 1970s to strongly positive in 2009. The resulting decrease in ice advection should lead to ice-shelf thinning further seaward of the ice plain. This thinning would reduce the lateral drag and back-stress of the shelf ice, further contributing to thinning through an increase in spreading rate. ICESat measurements show recent thinning of most of the freely floating ice shelf. Article in Journal/Newspaper Antarc* Antarctic Ice Sheet Ice Shelf Journal of Glaciology Ross Ice Shelf University of California: eScholarship Journal of Glaciology 59 217 838 844 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
University of California: eScholarship |
op_collection_id |
ftcdlib |
language |
unknown |
topic |
Physical Geography and Environmental Geoscience Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences |
spellingShingle |
Physical Geography and Environmental Geoscience Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences Thomas, R Scheuchl, B Frederick, E Harpold, R Martin, C Rignot, E Continued slowing of the Ross Ice Shelf and thickening of West Antarctic ice streams |
topic_facet |
Physical Geography and Environmental Geoscience Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences |
description |
As part of the Ross Ice Shelf Geophysical and Glaciological Survey (RIGGS), ice velocities were measured on the Ross Ice Shelf (RIS) during 1973-78. Comparisons of these with velocity estimates at the same locations derived from RADARSAT synthetic aperture radar (SAR) measurements in 1997 and 2009 show velocity reduction in the southeast quadrant of the ice shelf by almost 200ma-1, with deceleration rates increasing with time. Large areas of ice shelf in this region are lightly grounded, forming an 'ice plain' that increases local buttressing of the ice streams. ICESat measurements show this ice plain to be thickening. The observed decrease in ice-shelf velocities implies a total reduction in the mass of ice flowing into the RIS from the West Antarctic ice sheet (WAIS) by-23 Gt a-1, shifting the mass balance of the WAIS drainage basin from strongly negative in the 1970s to strongly positive in 2009. The resulting decrease in ice advection should lead to ice-shelf thinning further seaward of the ice plain. This thinning would reduce the lateral drag and back-stress of the shelf ice, further contributing to thinning through an increase in spreading rate. ICESat measurements show recent thinning of most of the freely floating ice shelf. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Thomas, R Scheuchl, B Frederick, E Harpold, R Martin, C Rignot, E |
author_facet |
Thomas, R Scheuchl, B Frederick, E Harpold, R Martin, C Rignot, E |
author_sort |
Thomas, R |
title |
Continued slowing of the Ross Ice Shelf and thickening of West Antarctic ice streams |
title_short |
Continued slowing of the Ross Ice Shelf and thickening of West Antarctic ice streams |
title_full |
Continued slowing of the Ross Ice Shelf and thickening of West Antarctic ice streams |
title_fullStr |
Continued slowing of the Ross Ice Shelf and thickening of West Antarctic ice streams |
title_full_unstemmed |
Continued slowing of the Ross Ice Shelf and thickening of West Antarctic ice streams |
title_sort |
continued slowing of the ross ice shelf and thickening of west antarctic ice streams |
publisher |
eScholarship, University of California |
publishDate |
2013 |
url |
https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8t8411cq https://escholarship.org/content/qt8t8411cq/qt8t8411cq.pdf https://doi.org/10.3189/2013jog12j122 |
op_coverage |
838 - 844 |
genre |
Antarc* Antarctic Ice Sheet Ice Shelf Journal of Glaciology Ross Ice Shelf |
genre_facet |
Antarc* Antarctic Ice Sheet Ice Shelf Journal of Glaciology Ross Ice Shelf |
op_source |
Journal of Glaciology, vol 59, iss 217 |
op_relation |
qt8t8411cq https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8t8411cq https://escholarship.org/content/qt8t8411cq/qt8t8411cq.pdf doi:10.3189/2013jog12j122 |
op_rights |
CC-BY |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.3189/2013jog12j122 |
container_title |
Journal of Glaciology |
container_volume |
59 |
container_issue |
217 |
container_start_page |
838 |
op_container_end_page |
844 |
_version_ |
1810491574001336320 |